6 September, 2017

A Challenge Scholar

There is an old, Italian proverb that says, “he conquers who endures”. This proverb, first spoken by renowned poet and philosopher, Persius, implies that the key to any success in life is found in perseverance. Life is a series of knock-backs and stumbles and failures, but it is how we respond to them that defines us. Understandably, it is easy to give up – it hurts to fail or miss the target. But we need to get back up, keep trying and this is exactly what Challenge member, Nick Ball, did.

Nick has always been a studious and ambitious young man, constantly trying to better himself and his understanding of the world. He is a fierce and hardworking individual that strives to always achieve his utmost best. However, it hasn’t always been easy for him. In June of 2015, Nick was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and this was a huge hurdle for Nick and his family to overcome. The diagnosis and treatment process completely disrupted the balance of his life and he was forced to adjust to a ‘new normal’.

Nonetheless, Nick’s diagnosis also initiated his involvement with Challenge. Throughout his cancer journey, Nick said that Challenge was “amazing” and helped him “at every turn in his cancer journey”. One of the services, however, that Nick particularly benefitted from was the Chris Wise Scholarship. Having already mentioned what a hardworking and passionate student Nick is, for him the scholarship was a service that particularly interested him.

However, Nick did not succeed on first attempt in his application, or on his second; it was only on his third that he came through as a successful recipient of the scholarship. For Challenge, it is always hard to choose a recipient given the excellence and deserving nature of all applicants; but Nick never gave up and revealed a little glimpse of his resilience and relentless perseverance to the team here at Challenge that made him one of the worthiest recipients.

It really is a testament to the saying that hard work pays off, with Nick now using the funds provided by the scholarship to purchase a new laptop for school and university. He says that the scholarship has “helped him so much” and removed a “considerable burden” in the costs of schooling not only for the present, but also for the future.

The scholarships available to our Challenge members are truly one of our most valuable programs and Nick would “most certainly” recommend others to apply. Don’t be afraid of rejection because you can never succeed if you never try!

For more information on how to apply for one or more of our various scholarships available, please read through our website or contact us on mail@challenge.org.au.

We would also like to wish Nick all the best of luck in his final year of schooling and even more well wishes in his endeavours to one day become a paediatric oncologist at the Royal Children’s Hospital.

You are an awesome person, Nick, and we know you will reach for the stars and beyond!